


I wish I could follow you

by flyingonfeatherlesswings



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Kidfic, Lonely Tony Stark, Mama TAO, Stephen Raised at Kamar Taj AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-11
Updated: 2018-08-11
Packaged: 2019-06-25 18:01:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15646032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flyingonfeatherlesswings/pseuds/flyingonfeatherlesswings
Summary: Tony was listening, shaking his head in disbelief, a smile growing bigger and bigger across his face, “Wow, so you’re an orphan and you’re being raised at a wizard school in the flipping Himalayas? That is so cool man!”(a meeting between 12 year old Tony and a 10 year old Stephen who was raised at Kamar-Taj)





	I wish I could follow you

**Author's Note:**

> Kinda goes along with my fic Take My Hand, which is also about Stephen being raised at Kamar-Taj: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9436421
> 
> Also note that it's rated gen. I marked it as IronStrange because there is room for a romance, but as kids it's just platonic hangouts.

Stephen Strange blinked awake in a room that was clearly not his bedroom and it took a moment for the memories of the night before to come rushing back. He remembered his hacking cough, cool hands on his forehead, resting his sweaty head in the crook of someone’s neck, and choking down some foul tasting medicine. Stephen rubbed his head, getting his bearings. He assumed that it must be the early morning hours and that the bedroom he was in was that of the Ancient One.

He remembered her picking him up from the small cot in the infirmity, his limbs wrapping around her tightly and her taking him to her room, laying him gently down in soft linens. She had lain beside him for a while, humming softly and smoothing back his hair. 

Stephen was feeling better now, just groggy and achy from coughing. The chills that had been wracking his body had subsided so he thought maybe his fever had broken. He pushed back the covers and put his bare feet on the floor, looking around at the room. The foundlings of Kamar-Taj had the run of most of the building, but the chambers of the Ancient One was one of the few spaces that was off-limits most of the time. Karl and him had theories about what she kept in there, but reality turned out to be much duller than their musings. 

It all just looked like a regular bedroom, slightly bigger than the ones that the masters occupied but still spartanly decorated. It only had the essentials: a bed, a couple of chairs and a small table. Stephen blushed to see some art he made years before of the Ancient One pinned up to the wall. But what caught his eye was the ornate, full-length mirror standing against the opposite side of the room. 

The Ancient One was probably the least vain person in the world, and the mirror’s intricate carved surface looked gaudy and austaicious in her monkish bedroom. Stephen stood up, bracing himself on the bed frame and approached it on coltish, shaky legs. 

Through the mirror he could review his reflection. He was wearing a knee-length tunic with slits on either side and pants. His face looked pale and his hair stuck up in odd directions. He pulled a face in the mirror, sticking out his tongue and widening his eyes. 

His reflection was distorted when the surface of the mirror rippled, going from looking solid to being a liquid by no cause of his own. Stephen jumped back, taken by surprise. He shook his head though, he should’ve known that nothing he found in the Ancient One’s room would be ordinary. 

He tentatively touched the surface of the mirror, and instead of his hand meeting rigid glass, the glass warped around his fingers and allowed them to pass through. Stephen pulled his hand back like it had been bitten. He surveyed his fingers, turning his hand over again and again and found that everything was fine, and so he stuck his hand back in after a moment of hesitation. This time he was able to stick his whole arm through the mirror and he brought it back safely. 

Stephen was growing bold and carefully leaned forward, bringing his face up to the mirror. He would briefly bring his face through to look and see what was on the other side and then pull himself back. The liquid material parted, feeling cold and slimy against the sides of his face. 

When he opened his eyes, he didn’t know what to expect. He was thinking maybe some type of monstrous void that the Ancient One was keeping an eye on, or maybe a secret chamber. But what he was met with was instead an average looking office room. There was a large desk, with several chairs around it, and wooden bookshelves lining the walls, completely full with important looking tomes. Scattered around were pictures featuring a blonde woman and a little boy. 

Stephen was taken by surprise and he couldn’t help but step into the room and look around in curiosity. There was a large window against a far wall, and he was drawn to it. The sunlight that streamed in was dim, like the sun was going down, even though he had just woken up in the early morning hours of Kathmandu. The view from the window revealed a large, well manicured lawn, with an ornate fountain ordaining the center of it. 

“Curiouser and curiouser,” whispered Stephen, feeling very much like the girl in the book that Wong had been reading to him and Karl. 

Stephen turned around and took in the large door on the other side of the room, torn between heading back through the mirror and exploring a little. His adventurous side won out and he headed out the door, turning the doorknob cautiously and peaking out. 

He found himself in a carpeted hallway, the walls lined with pictures of machines and buildings. Stephen stepped out and looked at the pictures, perplexed by the technology they displayed. Stephen’s main exposure to technology were the cars and scooters that crowded the streets of Kathmandu and occasionally Wong would take Karl and Stephen to eat at a restaurant close to Kamar-Taj which had a small black and white TV that was normally playing sports games out in the main dining area. Stephen and Karl liked the food, and the change of scenery, but they mostly just wolfed down their food and turned to stare at the set in wide-eyed wonder as Wong rolled his eyes, saying that they witnessed magic every day, why do they care about an outdated television? 

Stephen’s eyes swept over the pictures of the devices and he walked down the hallway, his gaze glued on the wall next to him. 

“Hey! Stop! Who are you?” 

Stephen froze at the voice, horrified that had been caught. His breath stuck in his throat as he imagined what kind of punishment he would receive for trespassing, what kind of creatures could guard such a place. He timidly turned his head over his shoulder to look at who had called out to him. 

There was a boy, maybe a couple of years older than him, standing there with his arms crossed. He was wearing shorts, a t-shirt and tennis shoes. What Stephen immediately focused on though was the gun trained on him in the boy’s hand. 

Stephen’s hands shot up. He knew about guns because of Wong’s lessons on war, he knew the damage they could do, and this one didn’t look like any of the ones he had seen in books. “Please, please don’t shoot me,” said Stephen, voice shaking with fright. 

The boy looked confused, and he lowered his weapon. “Seriously, dude? It’s not real.” The boy then brought the gun back up and pulled the trigger, Stephen flinched but all that happened was the gun lit up and made noises. 

Stephen scrunched his eyes up in confusion, “It’s a toy?” 

The other boy scoffed, walking towards Stephen, “Yeah man, what you’ve never seen a toy gun before? So, who are you? Why are you in my house? What’s with the monk get-up?” 

Knowing that the boy didn’t have an actual weapon, Stephen took the opportunity to run back down the hallway, past the boy who let out a “Hey!” and tried to grab Stephen’s arm, but Stephen was too quick and evaded him. 

Stephen ran back into the office and to the mirror. He meant to run into the mirror like it was an open door, but the surface held and he bounced off of it, falling to the floor with an “Oof!” The other boy ran into the room and stared down at the boy sprawled on the floor. 

“Why’d you run into my dad’s study?” asked the boy, but Stephen was already struggling back onto his feet and running his hands on the mirror. The surface was like that of any regular mirror, whatever magic had gotten him here was failing him. 

The boy watched Stephen, his eyes flickering between the mirror and the mystery child. “Uh? Hello? Can you understand English? You asked about my gun, so I assume so. Why you so interested in that ugly old mirror?”

“It’s how I got here,” said Stephen miserably, his hands falling from the mirror. 

The other boy screwed up his mouth, “You got here... _ through the mirror _ ? Come on, dude, I wasn’t born yesterday.” 

“It’s true!” said Stephen, balling up his fists and turning to face the other boy. “It’s a magic mirror! But maybe, it only works in one direction.” 

“Uh huh,” said Tony, folding his arms again, “Likely story, bub, now how about you tell me how you really got in here before I go and alert security.” 

Stephen shook his head, “I told you,  _ magic _ !”

“Magic isn’t real.” 

“Yes it is!”

“No, it isn’t!” 

Stephen huffed out in frustration, “I’ll show you!”. He lifted his hands in front of him, his fingertips touching so they created a sphere. He closed his eyes and concentrated and the boy quirked an eyebrow, obviously not buying that the kid in front of him could do magic. But then the boy’s eyes widened when there was a spark within the cradle of Stephen’s hands. It happened again and again until the spark held and formed a steady flame. 

Stephen unfolded his hands and he ran the little flame through his fingers. It danced across his knuckles and he juggled it from hand to hand. All the while, the other boy stood there in wonder. Stephen let the flame grow bigger and then it shrank its size and the flame changed color, running through the whole spectrum. 

There was a candle sitting on one of the bookshelves and Stephen walked over to it, reaching up and letting the flame slide down his fingers before catching on the wick. The other boy immediately ran over to the candle inspecting the flame, waving his hand around that. He then turned to Stephen and grabbed the boy’s hands, turning them over and pushing up Stephen’s sleeves. “How did you do that? Do you have like a light hidden on you or something? Was it some type of rig with a mirror?”

“I told you, it’s magic,” said Stephen, who was shaking slightly after showing Tony the trick. Normally such a small display didn’t leave him so tired, but his recent sickness must have zapped his energy. 

Tony stopped with his inspection and noticed that the boy’s shoulders were slumped and his eyes heavy, “Hey are you okay?” 

Stephen shook his head and sighed, “I don’t know how to get home.” 

“Where’s home? Are you...are you from a different dimension or something?” asked the boy, his words growing quieter with excitement. 

“Oh maybe, if this one doesn’t include a Kathmandu, Nepal.”

The boy’s fell in disappointment, “Ah, nah it does. Though you are a long way from home.” 

“How far?”

“Well you’re in Southern California soooo…”

Stephen nodded, that explained the time change and the fact that he was in an obviously American home with an American boy. 

“Hey, what’s your name?” asked the boy. 

“Stephen Strange,” said Stephen, holding out a hand for Tony to shake. Wong was adamant that the children of Kamar-Taj learn manners and Stephen knew quite well that Americans shook hands to greet each other. 

The boy shook it firmly and said, “And I’m Anthony Stark. But we can call me Tony. Your last name is really Strange? How come you live in Nepal? You don’t look...Nepalese.” 

“My parents died when I was really little, the Ancient One took me in. And yeah, their last name was Strange.” 

“The Ancient One?” 

“She’s the Sorcerer Supreme, the most powerful magic user in the known universe.”

“So she’s like a wizard?” asked Tony. 

Stephen cocked his head, “I guess, though the sorcerers don’t call themselves that.” 

“And you don’t have a mom or a dad? No brothers and sisters?” 

Stephen bit his lip, “The Ancient One is kinda like my mom.” He remembered the night before, clinging to her robes as his body was wracked with coughs. A few weak, “Mama’s” had escaped his mouth and the Ancient One had shushed him and smoothed back his hair. “And Karl is like my brother, even though he’s got a different skin color than me. Oh and I guess Wong is like our uncle.”

Tony was listening, shaking his head in disbelief, a smile growing bigger and bigger across his face, “Wow, so you’re an orphan and you’re being raised at a wizard school in the flipping Himalayas? That is so cool man!” 

“Is it?”

“Yeah, sounds like something out of a movie or something. And you came out of my dad’s mirror? What, like Alice?” Tony gasped. Stephen perked up, “You know, Alice? Wong has been reading that book to us--”

Tony interrupted Stephen, a thought coming to him, “Do I need to help you on a quest or something? I’m real smart, and we got lots of money.” 

“I don’t think so,” said Stephen, “I was just snooping around the Ancient One’s room and found a mirror that looks like that one.” Stephen hooked his thumb over his shoulder, “I touched it and it wasn’t solid, it was a doorway to this room.”

“Hmmm,” pondered Tony, “I wonder why it would lead you to my dad’s study.” 

“Yes it’s odd. I thought it would lead to somewhere much more interesting.”

“Hey,” said Tony defensively, “You say my house isn’t interesting? All you’ve seen is this room and the hallway.”

At that Stephen’s stomach made a loud grumble and Stephen clutched his middle, remembering that he hadn’t eaten in almost 24 hours, having lost his appetite while he was sick. Tony’s face spread into a wide smile, “Hungry, eh Stephen? That’s perfect, I can show you the kitchen. I was actually going to eat my dinner soon.” 

Stephen was reluctant, shuffling his feet, “I don’t know, I’m not so sure I should stay gone for long.”

“Can you get back?”

Stephen’s eyes fell, “No,” he let out in a mutter. 

“Then come on, you’ll be my guest!”

Stephen sighed, “Won’t your parents find it weird that a boy just appeared in the house?”

“Ah, well,” said Tony, showing some discomfort, “My parents aren’t home.” 

“Really? But the sun’s going down. In the stories that me and Karl read the parents are always home before dinner. Are you here alone then? Do you have cook for yourself?”

“The housekeeper, Mrs. Leckie, stays here with me. She made dinner too.” 

“Well I guess, I could keep you company then,” said Stephen, “But won’t Mrs. Leckie be suspicious?”

“Pfft, no,” scoffed Tony, “She’s already back in her rooms watching Wheel of Fortune, she doesn’t care about me. She used to make sure I ate but now I’m old enough to take care of myself. Come on, I think I smelled spaghetti.”

Tony turned and ran out of the room, Stephen following behind. The older boy lead Stephen through a house that was particularly a labyrinth. They must have passed by at least a dozen closed doors, before they came to a door that Tony swung open revealing stairs. Tony ran down them, jumping and landing hard at the bottom. Stephen came down behind him, feeling a bit overexerted and out of breath. 

Stephen looked in the kitchen that Tony had led him too and it was nothing at all like the kitchen at Kamar-Taj, which was fairly rustic with it’s large brick oven and the pots and pans hanging from the ceiling and on the walls. This kitchen featured a large island in the center, with a huge fridge bigger than Stephen’s arm span, a double oven set into the wall, and every appliance you could imagine. The sorcerers of Kamar-Taj had no use for appliances. 

On the stove was a large pot and Tony got to work getting out bowls and silverware for them. “What do you want to drink?” he asked Stephen. 

Stephen was thrown by the question, never having been giving an option before. At meals they drank tea, but otherwise he drank water. Some of the sorcerers in training drank alcohol they got at the local markets when they had downtime, but they always hid it when Stephen came around, fearing the the Ancient One’s wrath if one of her wards was exposed to such vices. “Um what is there?” he asked finally. 

“Well we got Coke, and Sprite, and Sunny D, and RC Cola and apple juice and uh, yeah, water,” said Tony. 

“Can I have some apple juice?” Stephen at least knew what those two words meet. 

“Coming right up!” said Tony. 

Tony quickly prepared their meals, and had Stephen sit on a bar stool at the island. Tony place a bowl full of spaghetti and meatballs in front him, placing a torn off piece of garlic bread on the edge of his bowl, with a tall glass of apple juice. It was a much larger dinner than he was accustomed too and normally at Kamar-Taj he and the other residents sat cross-legged at a short table and passed around large bowls of rice and various toppings. This looked to be an enormous amount of food for one boy. Also the fork Tony handed him was another oddity, because normally he ate with his fingers or chopsticks. He held up the fork and looked at down at the stringy food, not sure where to begin. 

Tony laughed at his cluelessness, “Here let me show you.” The boy took the fork from Stephen and spun it around in the pasta, and lifted up the fork for Stephen to take. Stephen ate the spaghetti off the fork, but some pieces were too long and got sauce of Stephen’s chin. Tony tossed a cloth napkin in his direction with a smile. 

Stephen struggled to eat the spaghetti on his own, and he had to use the napkin to mop his face after practically every mouthful. Soon the bowl was half-empty and Stephen didn’t feel like he could take another bite. Tony gathered their plates and went to put them by the sink but Stephen snapped his fingers and they were instantly clean. “Wow, Ms. Leckie will appreciate that,” said Tony. 

Tony was eager to get Stephen out of the kitchen and he took the smaller boy by the hand and led him back up the stairs. They were soon back up on the top floor and Tony was practically running down the hallway, dragging Stephen behind him. 

He pushed open a door and ran in, leaving Stephen in the doorway to gawk in awe. Inside the large room was basically every item that a young boy could ever want. There were bean bag chairs littered around in front of a large TV, and a basketball hoop against the far wall. In the corner was a large bunk bed, both beds covered in colorful bedding and the lower bed larger than the top. 

Stephen walked in, inspecting everything and unconsciously comparing Tony’s bedroom to his own back at Kamar-Taj. Stephen shared a room with Karl and they both slept in a low wooden bed. There were windows that looked down on a courtyard with benches set into each so Stephen and Karl could watch the students practice and yell out things like, “Faster!” “Look out!” “Ah, that must’ve hurt!” They had a bookshelf bursting with books and the Ancient One’s astral form would often come floating in late at night to catch them looking at one of them together under the covers, a small floating orb illuminating the pages. She would admonish them lightly and tell them to go to sleep. 

Stephen was wondering what Karl would think of this room when Tony skipped over to a less impressive part of the room, a large desk set against the wall with pieces of metal scattered all over it. “These are my inventions!” said Tony proudly. 

He held up one item that looked like a metal ball and set it on the desk and with the push of a button its parts changed and it become a car. He then set the car on the floor and hit another button and it drove forward, changing back into a ball and rolling off under his bed. 

“Wow!” said Stephen, wide-eyed. “Yep, no magic needed,” said Tony. 

“You must be a genius,” said Stephen as he looked over the rest of the inventions on Tony’s desk. 

“The word is ‘child prodigy,’ and I guess so. But I think you don’t get to be a genius until you are an adult. But I am 12 and already a junior in high school sooooo.” 

“School? Do you like school?” asked Stephen. He had read a few books about kids in schools in America, and he had seen Nepalese school children in their school uniforms on the streets of Kathmandu, but that was pretty much all the exposure he had with the concept. 

“Eh, it’s okay,” shrugged Tony, “Kinda boring.”

“What are your friends like?” 

Tony paused, his face overcome by an unreadable expression before he laughed nervously, “Oh yeah, they’re cool. Really chill. Yeah, they are the best. What about you? What are your friends like?” Tony said the last bit in a rush, wanting to change the subject. 

“Karl’s my best friend. And sometimes the novice sorcerers bring children with them and we play, but they move on eventually. There’s a little girl whose mother helps out in the kitchen though. She’s nice, I think Karl has a crush on her,” said Stephen in a whisper. 

“Your home seems fun,” said Tony in a quiet voice, his shoulders slumping. 

“Really? You have all these things though, what’s that?” 

From there Tony was back in his element and was happy to show off all of his toys and games. Tony taught Stephen about basketball and perplexed Stephen with his rubix cube, which Tony was able to complete in almost record time. He told Stephen about going to the arcade to play video games, and how he had asked his dad for his own Pac-Man game for his birthday. 

After playing with everything, they settled down in the bean bags and Tony put on a movie which he excitedly told Stephen all about. “It’s called Star Wars and it’s basically the best movie ever, dude. Oh my god, it’s so good and awesome. What’s your favorite movie?”

Stephen sheepishly told him he had never seen a movie and Tony almost fainted in shock. 

Tony excitedly chattered through the film, telling Stephen about what to look out for and how certain shots were created. Tony noticed that Stephen’s eyes were drooping and the conversation was becoming more and more one-sided. Tony stood up and turned off the TV and turned to the younger boy. 

“You sleepy? You wanna go to bed?” 

Stephen snapped out of his post-illness drowsiness and looked unsure. He had never spent the night anywhere and he didn’t like the idea of spending such a long time away from home. He had his beloved stuffed dog back in his bed at home and there was no Ancient One here to kiss his forehead and tell him good night. No Karl to fall asleep next to and wake up with a friendly kick in the morning. He bottom lip started to wobble and his eyes grew wet. 

Tony looked panicked, “Dude, what’s wrong? Do you feel bad? Did you hurt something?” 

“I wanna go home,” said Stephen in a quiet voice. 

Tony leaned over to pat Stephen’s shoulder, the gesture full of awkward reassurance, “Your family is full of wizards right? They’ll find you I’m sure.”

“What if they don’t? What if I can’t find them?”

“Then I’ll tell my dad and he will fly us to Kathmandu and  _ we  _ will find them!” 

“Your dad can fly a plane?” asked Stephen, his tears clearing. 

“Uh, yeah! He was in the war too. He’s pretty cool. Now, do you want the top bunk or the bottom?” 

Stephen decided on the bottom, not trusting the idea of a bed so high up off the floor. Tony ran off and changed into his PJs. “You’re all set, still in your PJs it looks like,” he said as he went. 

When he came back, Stephen was sitting on the bottom bunk and he asked Tony, “Are you sleepy? You don’t look sleepy.”

“Not really,” said Tony, “It’s a Friday and it’s like 9 o’clock, but I’ll just read a book and I got a flashlight, it’s no big deal.”

Stephen got under the covers and Tony climbed up on the top bunk, clapping his hands and turning off the light. 

Stephen was exhausted and should’ve been able to sleep instantly but everything was  _ wrong.  _ The bed was too big, the room was too dark and didn’t have slivers of light coming in from the courtyard, he didn’t have Karl, he didn’t have Wong the dog(1). 

Stephen tossed and turned for about ten minutes before sighing calling out for Tony. The silhouette of Tony’s upside-down head appeared above Stephen, “Yeah man?” 

Stephen fidgeted in the bed, “Uh, I can’t sleep. I’m not used to being in the bed alone, could you please, lay down here with me? At least until I can fall asleep?” 

Tony didn’t say anything, just sat back up and disappeared, but he was quickly scrambling down the ladder and then climbing into bed next to Stephen. “Sure, no problem. I know new places are scary.”

“Thank you, Tony,” said Stephen. 

The two boys laid in comfortable silence, and Stephen ended up snuggling against the older boy. His breaths grew more deeper and more relaxed, but before he could drop off Tony broke the silence. “Hey Stephen?” 

“Mmmm?”

“If we can’t find your family, you can stay here. We have plenty of enough room and money, of course. You can be my brother.”

“Do I have to change my name to Stark?”

“Uh. no. Strange is an awesome last name.” 

“Can I have a dog? I can’t have a dog at Kamar-Taj, just a stuffed one.” 

“Yeah, you can have a whole pack of them”(2).

“Okay,” said Stephen in a sleepy, slurred voice before his breaths completely evened out. Tony laid there there on his back, a small smile on his face. 

Tony hadn’t been planning on falling asleep, he had fully intended on climbing back up into the top bunk when Stephen had drifted off. But he got to thinking about Stephen staying and everything they could get up to. A little brother with magical powers? The possibilities were endless. He wondered about how he would tell his parents, but he figured he could hide Stephen for a fairly substantial amount of time. 

These thoughts ushered Tony Stark off to sleep. 

He dreamt about him and Stephen having adventures, getting into trouble. Howard and Maria Stark actually being home for dinner, and spending time with both their boys. He was shaken from his sleep though and he cracked open his eyes. 

He was shocked to see an unfamiliar person leaning over him. They had a slim figure and after Tony’s eyes adjusted to the dark room he could make out that it was a bald woman. She was reaching over Tony, trying to scoop up Stephen. 

Tony’s panic subsided and suddenly he was overcome with sadness. “Are you Stephen’s mama?” asked Tony in a whisper. 

The woman turned her head to look down at Tony and gave him a soft smile. “Why yes, I am,” she said in a British accent. “Thank you for taking care of my Stephen.” 

“Why’d your mirror lead to my dad’s mirror?”

“We didn’t know where it led, we didn’t even know it had a partner. It doesn’t have a very stable spell on it.” 

Tony got off the bed to aid in the Ancient One getting to Stephen, but once she had him in her arms though, his arms and legs wrapping around her torso, Tony grabbed ahold of one of her long sleeves. She looked down at the child. 

“Can’t he stay? I had a few more things I wanted to show him.” 

“I’m sorry, Tony. But Stephen has people who care for him who miss him terribly. Karl keeps stealing people’s sling rings to go find him. I also worry he’s not fully recovered yet.”

Tony knew he couldn’t keep Stephen from his family and he shuffled his feet, looking down at the floor. “Then can I come?” asked Tony in a small voice. 

The Ancient One smiled, “Tony Stark, you and Stephen will meet again. And you are both destined to go great things. Stephen, in the pursuit of sorcery and you, the pursuit of science. Upsetting these paths would prove to be disastrous. 

“So no sleepovers?”

The Ancient One shook her head. “I know it seems lonely now, little one, but you will meet people who will love you unconditionally. And one day, you and Stephen will do amazing things together.”

In the daylight, Tony wouldn't have trusted anything a weird bald woman had to tell him but, but now, vulnerable and in the dark, he accepted everything she had to say. “Goodbye, Stephen,” said Tony to the unconscious child. “I guess I’ll see you later. Have fun growing up and being a wizard.”

Tony dejectedly got back into bed, but the Ancient One followed him. As Tony was sitting there sullen, she walked over to him and held up a glowing hand and reached forward and tapped him on the forehead. Tony froze and then slowly sank back into the bed, his eyes closely and his breathing growing deeper. 

The Ancient One smiled, “Sweet dreams, young one.” She then adjusted Stephen in her arms and Stephen grumbled against her shoulder. She reached up to stroke the back of his head before kissing him on the cheek. Then she summoned a portal and stepped back into Kamar-Taj, having retrieved the youngest member of her family. 

_ 30 Years Later  _

After everything had settled, Thanos dealt with and humanity back to being intact, Tony Stark had to come to grips with his childhood imaginary friend returning as a full grown adult. He visited Strange at his home and Stephen had invited him in, thinking Tony was there to talk about heroic matters. 

Stephen had just prepared him a cup of tea when Tony, sitting in a large wingback chair with his legs crossed, “You know, I thought I had made you up.”

“Hmmm?” responded Stephen sitting in his own chair. 

“Yeah, at least that’s what I came to think. I even hacked into the security system and watched the tapes from that night but you were nowhere on them. I brought you up a couple of times and my parents started talking about getting me psychological help.” 

Stephen put his own cup of tea beside him, looking solemn, “I thought you didn’t remember me.”

“A wizard kid came out of my dad’s mirror, a mirror that mysteriously disappeared after that night by the way, and you didn’t think I would remember that? Though I think your mom might have messed with my head that night, I had some pretty amazingly vivid dreams.” 

“What did she say to you?” asked Stephen. 

“That we would meet again and do great things together,” said Tony. 

“Ah, well another cryptic prophecy come true on the behalf of the Ancient One,” said Stephen. 

“We did do pretty well, didn’t we?”

“Indeed,” said Stephen giving Tony a soft smile. 

Tony shifted in his chair, “So tell me, how does a wizard boy in Kathmandu go on to become a world famous neurosurgeon?”

Stephen sighed, “It’s a long story.” Tony shrugged, “I got time.”

“You do? I always thought you were a very busy man.”

“Anything for an old friend.”

Stephen smiled, took a deep breath and began. 

**Author's Note:**

> 1) a toddler Stephen named it that and despite Wong's protests, it stuck  
> 2) a lie, Howard Stark had never given into Tony's pleading to get a dog. 
> 
> So I like to come up with the aesthetic of life at Kamar-Taj, and I think it would be a cultural mixing bowl. Like eating practices would be at their basis stick with Nepalese norms, but there's also others thrown in because the sorcerers are from wherever. 
> 
> For more of this kinda stuff, follow me at stephenstrangeisaho on Tumblr. Oh and please leave a kudos and/or a comment ;)


End file.
